It's been a big week for fans of Ace Attorney as Capcom celebrated 10 years of the series by announcing Ace Attorney 5. You don't get bigger fans than Croik and Wooster, the creators of excellent Ace Attorney website Court-Records. Here. they tell us why they love Ace Attorney and what inspired them to create their website.
Why do you love Ace Attorney?
Croik: The thing I love most about Ace Attorney is its charm. Other games might have better graphics, or more realistic settings, or more explosions, but it's hard to beat Ace Attorney when it comes to sheer anime-style quirkiness. In what other game series can you play a defense attorney charged with cross-examining a parrot?
Wooster: The other important thing is Shu Takumi's writing. Combining slapstick grade humor with morbid death is very tricky. Many less talented writers have alienated their readers by laughing at something tragic, but not Takumi. One moment you're arguing about ladders and step ladders, in the next someone is bleeding on the floor after being shot with a hand cannon. Takumi is a master of the mind. He makes you laugh, think, cry, scream, smile, and search for the truth to the bitter end. That, makes it special.
When did you get into Ace Attorney?
Croik: It was the moment I saw Edgeworth's cravat, honestly. Just before the first game came out in the USA in the autumn of 2005, my brother mentioned "a lawyer game for the DS" to me, and at the time I didn't have a DS so I didn't pay much attention. It wasn't until I saw a print advert with Edgeworth posing dramatically that I realised any game where the villain wears a magenta suit and a cravat was worth my attention. I got my hands on the Japanese GBA games first, and within a few months I'd devoted a portion of my personal website to the series. It actually wasn't long after Court Records was up and running that I finally bought a DS and the English version.
Croik: With Ace Attorney it's easier to cite a favorite case, and for me that's Farewell, My Turnabout, the final case of Phoenix Wright: Justice For All. Not only does it feature Edgeworth's cravat very prominently, but it has some of my favourite characters and moments from the series. The psyche-locks as a gameplay and plot device were used to their utmost potential, and even the frequency detector mini-game was a fun (but still relevant) distraction. I also can't help but appreciate its slightly darker tone, and the moral questions is poses the player towards the final act. The rest of JFA can be a mixed bag, but for me, Farewell, My Turnabout is nearly perfect.
if these articles are going to become a weekly thing, good. like the pokemon seribii one from last week, its a good read and one of the best collumns i've read on this website. keep it up!
i had a look at the website and its a nifty little website for phoneix wright fans
I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who's obsessed with Edgeworth's cravat... I really enjoyed reading this article and I agree, I hope there'll be more like it. So excited for Ace Attorney 5, and the Phoenix Wright movie, of course!
I love this website! It's the perfect resource for everything Ace Attorney related. Its got a massive collection of offical artwork and scans of comics and fan-books. It's also mapped out an entire timeline for all the events throughout the series, and character profiles for every single character that appears in the games.
Considering its status as a niche series, court-records is one of the most in-depth fan sites I've ever come across for a video game. It's a shame Capcom don't treat its immensely dedicated fanbase in the west better, although the news that the movie will make it overseas is welcome. Even if they localise GS5 though, I'll still bear a little resentment towards them for not giving us Ace Attorney Investigations 2.
Love the series to bits, it's just difficult being a fan when you don't know if you'll be able to play the upcoming games.